--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a simple thing he [Frank Daniel]…" description: "\"It's a simple thing he [Frank Daniel] taught me. If you want to make a feature film, you get ideas for 70 scenes. Put them on 3-by-5 cards. As soon as ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/david-lynch-911_cards_it-s-a-simple-thing-he-frank-daniel-taug_1284657.jpg" --- # It's a simple thing he \[Frank Daniel\] taught me. If you… ![“It's a simple thing he [Frank Daniel] taught me. If you want to make a feature film, you get ideas for 70 scenes. Put them on 3-by-5 cards. As soon as you have 70, you have a feature film.” quote by David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/david-lynch-911_cards_it-s-a-simple-thing-he-frank-daniel-taug_1284657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/david-lynch-911_cards_it-s-a-simple-thing-he-frank-daniel-taug_1284657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/david-lynch-911_cards_it-s-a-simple-thing-he-frank-daniel-taug_1284657.jpg) > “It's a simple thing he \[Frank Daniel\] taught me. If you want to make a feature film, you get ideas for 70 scenes. Put them on 3-by-5 cards. As soon as you have 70, you have a feature film.” [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A feature film can be built by generating many scene ideas and organizing them physically. **In simple terms:** Make many scene ideas and organize them. Key Takeaway Use cards to map out film structure. Themes creativity structure filmmaking Mood practical creative Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - scriptwriting - indie film production - storyboarding Key Concepts visual storytelling process design Questions to Reflect On - How many scenes do you need for your story? - What tools help you organize ideas? A Different Perspective Physical cards may limit digital flexibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Feature film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feature-film/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Simple things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-things/) ## Related quotes > [All my film ideas and subjects have come from photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/all-my-film-ideas-and-subjects-have-come-from-photography/) [Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/) > [I was working on other things and I wanted to make a film, and I had some ideas brewing in my head. Brandy's \[…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-was-working-on-other-things-and-i-wanted-to-make-a-film-and-i-had/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I think in that context, when a generation of kids is that ignorant of their recent history, it does a good job of showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-temple/i-think-in-that-context-when-a-generation-of-kids-is-that-ignorant-of/) [Julien Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-temple/) > [The feature film has changed a lot. Art houses are gone and people show a certain type of cinema in the big theaters now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/the-feature-film-has-changed-a-lot-art-houses-are-gone-and-people/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [The first writer I developed a script with was John Hughes, and that was 'Mr. Mom.' That was my first feature film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-shuler-donner/the-first-writer-i-developed-a-script-with-was-john-hughes-and-that/) [Lauren Shuler Donner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-shuler-donner/) > [I began my career creating art for an animated feature film, and it has been a life-long dream to tell some of the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/i-began-my-career-creating-art-for-an-animated-feature-film-and-it/) [Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/) > [By the time 'Dumbo's Circus' wrapped production of its 120 episodes, I had an agent, and I had scored my first feature film gig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/by-the-time-dumbo-s-circus-wrapped-production-of-its-120-episodes-i/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I get better roles in television. I'm not going to do a lesser role just to be in a feature film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaclyn-smith/i-get-better-roles-in-television-i-m-not-going-to-do-a-lesser-role/) [Jaclyn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaclyn-smith/) > [A gem of a short film has a sense of pure joy in animation that is different from anything you see in a feature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/a-gem-of-a-short-film-has-a-sense-of-pure-joy-in-animation-that-is/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Sometimes on a big feature film it seems to take far, far longer to do things than it should.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-searcy/sometimes-on-a-big-feature-film-it-seems-to-take-far-far-longer-to-do/) [Nick Searcy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-searcy/) > [I thought I should try something relatively inexpensive, relatively contained, relatively small. I started working on a feature, a film I'd still like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-ferguson/i-thought-i-should-try-something-relatively-inexpensive-relatively/) [Charles Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-ferguson/) > [Making your first feature film is actually impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yahoo-serious/making-your-first-feature-film-is-actually-impossible/) [Yahoo Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yahoo-serious/) > [I pick my feature film battles very carefully. They're going to be personal and they're going to take a lot of my energy. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/i-pick-my-feature-film-battles-very-carefully-they-re-going-to-be/) [James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/) > [In a feature film, the question of censorship always comes up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javed-jaffrey/in-a-feature-film-the-question-of-censorship-always-comes-up/) [Javed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javed-jaffrey/) > [I don't know if I ever entertained an academic career, nor did I ever think I'd become a feature film-maker in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-don-t-know-if-i-ever-entertained-an-academic-career-nor-did-i-ever/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) ## More by David Lynch > [I like L.A. because of the light. The light makes me feel so good. It's really beautiful. 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And for my 19th birthday, I got a union card and a factory coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-got-mary-pregnant-and-man-that-s-all-she-wrote-and-for-my-19th/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [Whether Theresa May had stabbed has stabbed the former Mayor of London in the back and Michael Gove had stabbed him in the front.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-evans/whether-theresa-may-had-stabbed-has-stabbed-the-former-mayor-of/) Nigel Evans > [While you're playing cards with a regular guy or having a bite to eat with him, he seems a peaceable, good-humoured and not entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/while-you-re-playing-cards-with-a-regular-guy-or-having-a-bite-to-eat/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Growing up in San Diego, my main interests were the Beatles, Louis Armstrong, 'Star Wars,' baseball cards, and drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-mooney/growing-up-in-san-diego-my-main-interests-were-the-beatles-louis/) [Kyle Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-mooney/) > [“why would white dudes want to change things when they held all the cards?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/why-would-white-dudes-want-to-change-things-when-they-held-all-the/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) Browse all 2,004 Cards quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's a simple thing he [Frank Daniel] taught me. 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